Heart of a Hero
by Ymaconis
Summary: When an illness is brought up to light by exhaustion, secrets that Sonic has been keeping come to light, but little does anyone know that nothing is as it seems, and that their greatest battle is just beginning... READ & REVIEW!
1. Chapter 1

**This idea came to mind when I thought about how Sonic goes from being active 24-7 in Unleashed to fighting Eggman up in space in Colors. (That's where Sonic and Tails are going when they take off at the end of Unleashed, folks. I looked it up.) Now, I may be wrong, but I'm pretty sure Sonic didn't take much time off in between the two… After all, Eggman already had all those spaceships in Unleashed, and Sonic didn't destroy them all… And what evil genius doesn't have a back-up plan? **

…**Enough rambling. This takes place immediately post-Colors. Oh, Blaze and Silver may show up at some point, but Sonic 2006 isn't remembered by either of them. And I apologize in advance for any OOC-ness… There's more than reason I haven't written a bunch of Sonic stories, folks…**

_**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN SONIC AND COMPANY. I ONLY OWN THE OFCs AND THE COMPUTER I'M TYPING THIS ON.**_

**0-0-0-0-0-0**

Tails looked over at the hedgehog who was sitting on his couch, eyes closed in exhaustion. Tails knew Sonic had been through a lot in the recent couple of weeks, but it didn't mean that he thought it was OK that his brother pushed himself over his limits because Eggman didn't know when to quit.

Sonic opened one eye to watch Tails head towards the phone, biting his lip to prevent himself from coughing. He knew that it would just worry the kit more than he was already, and he would be leaving for his own home as soon as he could. Assuming that he managed to convince Tails he was capable of getting himself home, of course.

Tails looked over at Sonic uneasily as he dialed the familiar number. The hedgehog wouldn't be happy that he was doing this, but Tails couldn't just ignore the fact that Sonic needed some medical attention. And even if a doctor was out of the question, Tails did know one person that Sonic wouldn't be too upset if they took care of him.

"_Rabbit residence; Vanilla speaking."_

"Vanilla, its Tails," the kitsune said, glancing back towards Sonic, who seemed oblivious to the conversation.

"_Tails? Well, this is a pleasant surprise."_

"I'm afraid this isn't a social call, Ms. Rabbit," Tails said, eyes watching Sonic. The hedgehog leaned forward a little and coughed, but showed no sign that he was aware of what Tails was saying.

"_What's wrong?"_

Tails bit his lip, hearing the change in Vanilla's tone. "Sonic," he admitted quietly. "I think he might be sick, and I know that he's beyond exhausted. He kinda didn't sleep much in these last few weeks, and he probably hasn't eaten right, either."

"_I'm going to have Cream get things set up here. I'll be over in a few minutes to help you get him here."_

"Thank you," Tails said, feeling reassured that the mother rabbit would be taking care of Sonic. "I'll let him know."

Sonic was drifting in and out of consciousness, echoes of recent pain causing his face to screw up. A hand on his shoulder produced a low hiss, but he forced his eyes open to see Tails looking at him in a mix of sympathy and worry. "I called Vanilla. She's going to be taking care of you until you're better, Sonic."

It toke Sonic longer that it should have to process that, a tiny part of his mind realizing that was a very bad thing, but he ignored. "Tails, I don't need someone to fuss over me. I'm fine." Suddenly, Sonic twitched, feeling like he was being electrocuted again. Tuning the pain out the best he could, he tried to push himself up.

Tails' hands were suddenly restraints, holding down the fifteen year old hedgehog, a definite sign that Sonic was sick, because normally the kit could never hold him down.

After a few seconds of struggling, Sonic stilled, mouth open as he gasped for breath. Tails was instantly worried almost to the point of panic when she could hear how labored Sonic's breathing had become. He made an instant resolve to drag Shadow, if he could find the ebony loner, and definitely Knuckles to the Rabbit house so give an accurate analysis of what was wrong with Sonic, and help him get better.

A knock on the door had Tails getting up to open it, knowing that Sonic was too weak to run anywhere. He opened it, letting Vanilla in. "He's on the couch, and a lot worse than I thought. He tried to get up, but I was able to hold him down."

Vanilla paled slightly, sitting down next to the teen. His breathing was heavy and labored, and it worried her.

Sonic turned his head, almost completely drained of energy. His emerald eyes focused with some difficulty on Vanilla, but then he let his head flop back, too exhausted to keep his eyes open. His breathing slowed, but it still was noisy.

Tails came up behind Vanilla. "I recently made a new walker… It would get you to your house faster. And it's a bit larger, so…"

Vanilla understood, and gave the kit a grateful look. "If it's not too much trouble, Tails, that would probably be the best thing for right now. I'm not my daughter; I can't fly like Cream can."

Tails just nodded, racing for the hanger, his namesakes spinning to give him a speed boost. Vanilla turned back to Sonic, a faint smile in spite of the situation. "Will you ever stop landing yourself in these situations, child?" she asked softly, her tone that of endearment. Her lips brushed his forehead, frowning slightly at the fever. Carefully slipping her arms under him as not to jostle him, she gently picked him up, frowning again when she felt how little he weighed. She knew that Sonic was always a little on the light side, but there was no way his current weight was healthy.

She carried the distressed hero to the hangar, and was had just entered the area when Sonic began to twitch again, as if he was in pain. Tightening her grip on him so he couldn't break free and fall to the ground, she hurried towards the walker which Tails had named the Cyclone.

Tails hopped out of the pilot's seat, taking Sonic for a moment so Vanilla could get in. As soon as she was, he wordlessly handed Sonic back her, and she cradled him in close, softly humming in an effort to soothe him.

The short trip to the Rabbit's home placed in silence, Cream racing out to meet them when they came to a halt, silent tears slipping out of her warm brown eyes when she saw Sonic weak in her mother's arms. She kept her distance, though, and for that both Tails and Vanilla were grateful. Once Sonic was settled in the bed that Vanilla had taken to calling his due to all the times he slept there, Cream quietly walked up to him, taking his hand gently.

Looking up at her mother, she rubbed the tears away before opening her mouth to speak. "Should I inform Amy, Mother?"

Vanilla looked up at her daughter for a second before her gaze shifted back to the completely unconscious Sonic. "Yes, but please, sweetie, go tell her in person… Otherwise she'll race over here right away, and I need a little time to get him situated."

"Yes, Mother," with that, Cream fled the room, slightly glad not to have to stick around with Sonic in that condition. He was a big brother to her, and it scared the six year old to think of him lying so still and vulnerable.

"I'm going to go get Knuckles and see if I can find Shadow," Tails said. "Knuckles can tell us if any of this is connected to Sonic's Chaos energy, and Shadow has a Chaos Emerald."

Vanilla nodded, and the boy rushed from the room. As hard as it was for Cream to see Sonic like this, it was twice as hard for Tails, since Sonic was his brother in nearly every sense.

Bowing her head, Vanilla made a quick mental prayer that Sonic would get through this, because there was no other option. None of them could deal with the alternative.

XXXXXXX

Knuckles wasn't anti-social, but he preferred his solitude most of the time. A month ago Sonic had been there to spar, but Knuckles hadn't heard from him since. So one can imagine his surprise when Tails deftly landed the Tornado-1 in a clearing not far from the Master Emerald's shrine, and that surprise just increased when there was no sign of Sonic.

"What is it, kid?" Knuckles asked, not too harshly, but Sonic not being there made him uneasy.

"Sonic; he's sick," Tails said. "Like, really sick. I was able to hold him down, and he's too weak to do anything, even keep his eyes open!"

Knuckles felt cold. Sure, he and Sonic had their issues, but he couldn't let that fool of a hedgehog die. He had promised he would keep Sonic safe. "Where is he?"

Tails was slightly taken back. He had thought it would be harder than this to convince Knuckles to check on the cerulean hedgehog. "At Cream's house. Vanilla's taking care of him until he's better."

"Get your plane started, I'll be there as soon as I've got the Master Emerald shrunken down to an easier size to carry around," Knuckles said, turning back to the shrine.

Tails was startled, but knew better than to question Knuckles. Spinning his tails, he was at the plane momentarily, and starting it only took a moment. Within a minute, he felt the tremors starting that signaling the island lowering itself back to the ocean. Knuckles kept his word, and soon tails was headed back towards the Rabbit's house, one of the two people he felt that could help Sonic on board.

XXXXXXX

Knuckles walked into the house alone, since Tails was determined to locate Shadow. Walking up the stairs, he gently tapped the open door at the top of the staircase. Vanilla looked up and say him, motioning him inside.

"How is he?" Knuckles asked, even though he could see Sonic's too-still figure, the exposed skin pale, a damp cloth on his forehead to relieve his fever.

"Not good," Vanilla said. "I do wish he would stop getting himself in these situations. Tails didn't have time to give me the details on what he's been up to these past few weeks, but whatever it was, it wasn't a health benefit. He's literally exhausted, and I'm not sure I want to know when he last ate. Plus he obviously hasn't been eating right a while now, because he's at least a good five pounds lighter than last time he was here, probably more like ten or so."

"So he's, what, 65, 70, pounds?" Knuckles asked, shocked. He wished that he could tell her that this weight was because his Chaos energy was just higher than before, but in truth, it had lowered drastically. "That's not good at all. Underweight and low energy… I'm surprised he's only showing the effects now."

"His Chaos energy is down?" Vanilla asked, horrified. She knew that Sonic needed the Chaos energy in his system because it was part of his total life energy. She turned to him, fresh tears forming, but she blinked them away. "It's not right."

Knuckles, who was now sitting next to Sonic's bed hoping to use the Master Emerald to stabilize him at the very least, looked up with sympathy. "I know."

"No you don't!" Vanilla snapped, a rare occurrence. "He's just a child! You're not much older than him, but at least you don't purposely put yourself in harm's way, even if he does it to protect others. It isn't right. He should be focusing on the pretty girls he sees, not on saving the world. He's too young to know what he's missing, and by the time he figures out that out, it'll be too late. He's fifteen, Knuckles! Fifteen!"

"He lost his chance at a normal life a long time ago, Vanilla," Knuckles said softly. "Long before Eggman started attacking. When Sonic was four… His foster parents were killed, and he saw them die. But do you know what he did?"

"He became a hero because of it," Vanilla said quietly, still trying to wrap her mind around Sonic losing his parents at that young an age. Something occurred to her, however, and she looked back up at Knuckles. "Wait… Foster parents?"

Knuckles nodded. "His mother was forced to abandon him. He grew up in Robotropolis. His uncle took him in."

Vanilla couldn't hide her gasp, or her look of horror. She had fled Robotropolis when Julian Robotnik took over, and had a hard time imagining Sonic going up in such a horrible place. "Does anyone else know?"

"No," Knuckles said. "He didn't want them to. But you should know. You need to know why he feels the need to stop Eggman. Contrary to what he says, he's not just doing for the thrill of it."

"Knuckles, when did you met Sonic?" Vanilla asked, her tone clearly demanding the truth.

Knuckles looked down at the Master Emerald, which he held loosely in his hand. "When I was eleven… In a few months, it'll have been five years since we first met."

Vanilla just nodded, but she could see that Knuckles was kidding something. "A year before he met Tails."

"Eighteen months," Knuckles corrected. "I had known him nine months before… An accident occurred. His… Best friends were killed, and he was still grieving when he met the kit. Something about Tails reminded Sonic of them, and even if Tails hadn't been so talented with machines, Sonic would have let him tag along."

Vanilla just looked down at the sleeping hedgehog. There was so much she didn't know about him, and she was only truly realizing how fast Sonic had been forced to grow up. Shadow may give him trouble for being immature at times, but in truth, Sonic was probably just trying to act his age to the best of his abilities.

The soft rev of the Tornado-1 alerted Vanilla and Knuckles to Tails' return, and Knuckles was suddenly quite focused on Sonic. "I'll tell you more later. At this point, I don't really what Sonic thinks of it. You deserve to know."

The engine cut, and the two could hear the door open, somebody muttering the entire way up the stairs.

Shadow came into view, and the annoyed look vanished when he saw Sonic lying horribly still, looking like a ghost. Rouge was behind him, and she let out a faint gasp. Although Sonic and Rouge rarely interacted, they did have a mutual respect for one another.

Shadow snapped out of the short trance he had fallen into, ruby eyes suddenly determined. "Tell me what to do."

**0-0-0-0-0-0**

**I know, I know, Shadzy would never act like that… But we haven't seen him for a while, so who can really say how much he could have changed in that time. Besides, his attitude here will be explained further later on…**

**500 points to the first person who can guess who Sonic's 'best friends' were back when he met Knux. And I'll give you a hint… Only one of the TV shows occurred, and none of the games before Sonic Adventure.**

**For those of you that need a timetable…**

**-TV Show**

**-Sonic Adventure**

**-Sonic Adventure 2**

**-Sonic Heroes**

**-Shadow the Hedgehog (true ending)**

**-Secret Rings**

**-Black Knight**

**-Sonic Unleashed**

**-Sonic Colors**

**I know, I'm skipping some stuff, and that may change a little, but any changes will be additions, not deletions. And I kinda liked Secret Rings and Black Knight, plus it gives me more to work with… MWUA HA HA HA HA!**

**REVIEW! IT THE PLOT BUNNY FROM ATTCKING! PLUS I HAVE MORE REASON TO UPDATE! **


	2. Chapter 2

**Blame the plot bunny… And you have no clue how long I wanted to write this scene. I just had to figure out how to create a story it would work in… **

**0-0-0-0-0-0**

Pain. Both physically and mentally. Fighting against it, but there was no way to escape it. Faces flashing through his mind faster than he could run, and it felt like he had been connected to a power grid. And the voices, so loud…

"Some help, Knuckles!"

"Amy, Cream, get out of here!"

"He's having some kind of seizure!"

"Damn it, Sonic!"

"Let him go."

He focused on the last voice. He knew them all, but he couldn't identify any of them but the last one. And even then, it was impossible to precisely pinpoint it.

"Have you lost your mind?"

"He'll hurt himself!"

"I have to agree with the kit. He'll get hurt."

"I know what I'm doing. Let him go, but just for a second. It won't work if you're touching him."

Red eyes. Red eyes and black fur went with that voice. The first voice, a girl, had blue eyes. The kit… Yellow fur, two bushy tails. The angry one… A white crescent moon.

"You're insane."

"Guardian, you asked me to help, which implies you have some level of trust in me. Trust me now."

"If you hurt him further…"

"Understood."

The weights were gone, for which he was grateful. He slowly became aware of the fact that he was withering, as if to escape. Why weren't the voices making the pain stop? Didn't they see him transforming? Didn't they notice he had absorbed a negative wisp?

Family. He suddenly was able to lock on the faces in his mind. A brother and a sister… But then why weren't they here? Gone. He remembered now. They were gone; he had caused their deaths. He had gotten caught, but wasn't killed. They had died in his place… But what of his captor? He wasn't dead…

Imprisoned. He had snapped, spinning out of control. The machines were destroyed, but he couldn't kill the man. He couldn't kill him…

A bubble of air built in his chest as he saw something impossible. The man, was Robotnik his name, yes, Robotnik, was escaping! They had to catch him before he got away, or he would kill again! Stop him, stop him, stop him…

"What did you do?"

"Got him to stop seizing, obviously."

"Yeah, but now he hallucinating!"

A sigh. Shadow? "Sonic's most likely been hallucinating the entire time, Guardian. I can't heal his mind with him half-conscious."

"Robotnik." That was his voice! He could talk… Sort of.

"What?" Robotnik! Didn't they understand? He was going to use the robotizizer again!

"Escaped… The roboti-" His air was suddenly cut off, and he jerked again, trying to breathe.

"Damn it!" Hands suddenly pushing against his chest, slightly painful, but allowing him to cough and get air again.

A sudden gasp, and he knew that at least one of them had realized what he was trying to tell them… Knuckles. Knuckles was the one who knew.

"Amy, call this number," something tearing, "and tell them to check on Julian. They'll know what it means. Warn them that it was another warning."

"But-" No! There wasn't time! He would have his SWAT-bots ready to attack soon!

"No… Time…" His choked again, hands moving him so he could breathe. After a minute of hard coughing, he managed to draw in the welcome air.

"Don't talk. Focus on breathing, child." Vanilla. She was there. "He really should be in a hospital." NO! Robotnik would find him there!

"Rouge, some help!" Why was Shadow the one holding him?

"Sure thing." They had him immobilized, unable to break free. Wait, Amy! Had she left?

"Amy, you need to go call that number." Obviously she didn't know the severity of the situation. He had to tell her… But he couldn't. Wait a minute, Knuckles!

"Tell… them…" He didn't choke this time, something he was thankful for. He arched suddenly, coughing harder than before, but still able to breathe. A funny taste was in his mouth… Metallic; dirty.

"He's coughing blood! And those are bits of metal!" What? How was that possible?

"Quit trying to talk. You're just wasting your energy." He knew it was hard, but Knuckles wasn't telling them yet. He would, if Knuckles wouldn't.

"Tell them… Or I will…" Hacking again, he felt himself being repositioned so he could breathe more easily.

"I said quit talking." An order. He was Sonic Hedgehog! Nobody ordered him around! The wind was his only master! Who did Shadow think he was?

"Shuddap…" Great. Now he was slurring.

"Look, I'll explain later, but first you need to call that number, Amy. There's no telling how much time…"

"Fine, but I'm demanding an explanation when this is over." Of course, Amy. He would give her anything, if she would just stop Robotnik from escaping.

"Sonic said the name Robotnik, Guardian." Yes! Shadow was figuring it out! "Yet you used the name Julian."

That's it… He wanted to smile. "So that leads me to believe that either your referring to two different people," NO! "Or the both of you are referring to former dictator Julian Robotnik."

Yes, yes, yes! Shadow had connected the dots!

"The madman who took over a good portion of northern Mobius?" Leave it to Tails to know about something that started before he was born. "Please tell them that not who you mean."

"Tails…"

His air was cut off again, and he was faintly aware of people calling his name as he plunged into darkness.

XXXXXXX

Amy picked up the phone, frowning slightly as she dialed the number.

It was answered on the third ring. _"Hello?"_

"This is Amy Rose, and I have a message for you from Knuckles the Echidna," Amy said, just as Knuckles had told her to. And it seemed to work, as the person who answered the phone seemed more alert.

"_Yes?"_

"He said to check on Julian," a sharp gasp on the other end, "because there was another warning, whatever that means."

For a second, there was silence, then Amy was aware of the person shouting something as they covered the phone with their hand. _"Tell him we won't take this lightly."_

"Wait!" Amy shouted, but they had already hung up. She put the phone in its cradle with more force than necessary, but she was annoyed by the lack of answers.

She was suddenly aware of the shouting upstairs, and raced back up the stairs to a horrifying scene.

Sonic had gone deathly still, and Shadow didn't even seem aware of the fact that he was muttering curses under his breath as he tried to get Sonic breathing again. Cream was crouching in the corner, crying. Tails was standing there, and Amy briefly wondered if he was in shock. Knuckles seemed to be using the Master Emerald for… something. Vanilla was at Sonic's head, which frightened Amy when she saw blood on the pristine white towel she held. The only one missing was Rouge, so Amy had to assume that was who was going through the cabinets in the bathroom down the hall.

Sonic suddenly jerked, coughing harder than ever before. Shadow quickly had him repositioned more upright, and in any other situation, Amy would have been amused by the fact that Shadow was holding Sonic in tight. She knew it was just to support the azure hedgehog, helping him clear his throat of the blood he was coughing up.

Rouge came back with a penlight and a popsicle stick, and when Sonic's breathing evened out, she seemed to be checking the back of his throat. "I think he's coughed up most of the metal bits that got stuck in his throat. I just don't get how that kind of thing even happens."

"He got caught in the explosion," Tails muttered, but it still caught everyone's attention.

"What explosion?" Shadow asked, his tone dangerous. He suddenly looked down at Sonic, but after a minute, shook his head, brushing it off as imagination.

Tails swallowed nervously. "Eggman… He had captured a couple small planetoids in tractor beams and turned them into an amusement park. Sonic had a feeling he was up to something, and it turns out that he was after an alien race called Wisps because of their Hyper Go On energy."

"What did he need the energy for?" Rouge asked, genuinely intrigued.

"His park was actually a disguise for a giant ray," Tails said. "A mind control one. It would have worked, too. I got hit with a portable prototype he had made. He tried to hit Sonic with it, but I knocked him out of the way. But like I said, that was the prototype. He had a bigger one ready to fire upon Mobius… he tried to fire it, in fact."

"Something went wrong," Shadow said, still hyper-vigilante of Sonic his hold.

Tails nodded. "One of the pieces off a robot Sonic had destroyed pierced one of the generators. It was leaking energy, and when Eggman tried to fire it, it created a void type thing. I wanted to help Sonic fight him, but…"

"I pushed you into the elevator."

Everyone was startled, Shadow most of all. Sonic was literally in his arms and he didn't notice when he woke up. How embarrassing. Not that holding Sonic wasn't…

Shadow detached himself from Sonic, Helped the hedgehog get in a sitting position, and retreated to the end of the room, prompting several snickers and a couple of giggles.

Sonic watched him left half-lidded eyes, a faint smile on his face. That went away when everyone processed what he had said. "You pushed Tails into the elevator? How did you get down, then?" Amy asked.

"The Wisps," Sonic said. "They carried me down. If I weren't for them…"

"You nearly got yourself killed again, didn't you?" Rouge asked bluntly. "On second thought, there's no need for you answer that, since we already know the answer is yes."

Sonic looked down, avoiding eye contact. He coughed once, but that was enough for Shadow to stiffen, ruby eyes locked on him. Vanilla helped him lean forward to get the blood that was residue from the little rips the metal shavings had caused out of his throat. A little more blood hit the towel he was coughing into, and afterward he look up apologetically. "I'm sorry."

"For what?" Vanilla asked, extremely confused.

"I'm wrecking one of your good towels," he muttered, shocking everyone in the room.

Vanilla was at a loss for words. Luckily, after a muttered curse, Shadow stepped forward. "I've got this."

Sonic eyed Shadow uneasily. He still wasn't sure why the black hedgehog was here, and he wasn't too comfortable being around Shadow while he was this vulnerable.

Shadow stopped by Sonic's bed, aware of the emerald eyes following his every move. Knowing Sonic's reflexes were basically nonexistent at this point in time, he did something he never would have thought he would do. Slapped Sonic firmly across the face.

The results were instantaneous. Sonic's ears went back and a steady growl erupted from behind bared teeth, and the only thing keeping Amy from tearing Shadow apart was Cream. Knuckles was just staring in shock, as was Tails. Rouge looked faintly impressed, and Vanilla knew why he had done so, even if it irked her slightly.

"Do you have clue who close you came to dying, Sonic?" Shadow asked. "You stopped breathing for exactly 49 seconds."

The growling stopped, and Sonic's ears stayed pulled back, but the look on his face was that of shock.

"Tails tracked me down," Shadow continued. "When I walked in this room, every thought in my head stopped cold. You were dying, Sonic. Literally _**dying**_. When you stopped breathing, I honestly thought you were going to die right in front of me, and I couldn't do a thing about it. Now, I don't know about you, but I'm pretty sure a towel can be replaced." The second half of the last statement went unsaid, but everyone knew anyway.

Sonic paled. "I almost _**died**_?" he asked, trying to wrap his head around that fact. Suddenly his back arched, and he curled up into a tight ball, trying to escape the spasms of pain that were consuming him.

Shadow put his hands on Sonic's shoulders, wondering why he kept trembling in pain. Nothing was hurting him, and there was no flux to the Chaos energy here. A sudden thought crossed his mind, and he closed his eyes, reaching out with his Chaos field to find out whether he was right or not.

Shadow's eyes flew open as he backed up, hands stinging fiercely. He was wrong, but it didn't matter. There was still strange negative energy trapped within Sonic, and it was killing him.

"What is it?" Rouge asked, wondering why Shadow had back away from Sonic was if in pain.

"I have no clue," Shadow said, slowly approaching Sonic again. "But something is attacking him, some weird energy. It's similar to Chaos energy, but not an exact match."

Amy and Tails exchanged a panicked look. They had a good idea what that energy was, especially it was night at the moment. Knuckles noticed the glance and frowned at the two. "What are you hiding? If it's something that could help Sonic, we need to know."

"Gaia," Sonic managed to hiss. "Eggman woke Dark and Light Gaia up about a month without them having reached maturity. He drained the Emeralds to do so."

"But you had all seven Emeralds at that point," Knuckles accused. "How did Eggman get his hands on them?"

"Don't you dare try to blame Sonic for the planet breaking apart!" Amy shouted. "You haven't got a clue what he went through during that time!"

"Then why don't you enlighten us?" Shadow asked, venom dripping from every word.

"Lycanthropy," Sonic said, keeping it short and simple.

"A werewolf?" Knuckles asked, disbelieving. "Yeah, because that can totally happen."

Three glares made him shut up.

"A werehog…" Shadow muttered, deep in thought. Realization suddenly struck him, and he started at Sonic in shock. "That was you, wasn't it? The dark blue creature that was fighting the 'ghosts'?"

"You saw me like that?" Sonic asked, uneasy.

Shadow didn't respond, trying to figure out how Sonic could have been affected by the emeralds getting drained. The answer came immediately, and he knew without asking that it was the correct one.

"You had gone Super."

**0-0-0-0-0-0**

**Sorry about the bad ending, but this was starting to get a bit long for my tastes… My chapters are always somewhere around 5-6 pages with a narrow setting on Word. I'll let Amy fume about a lack of answers for a bit so the contest stays open. **


	3. Chapter 3

**I'm back… FYI, Sonic's and Shadow's relationship is purely platonic. I don't write slash, folks. Look elsewhere for that, because I have Sonic and Shadow more of brothers. And I figured out the best way EVER to tie in one of my all-time fave characters into the plot… Anyway… ON WITH THE STORY! (Yes, I'm fully aware of my own insanity… Really, people, I'm not stupid.)**

**0-0-0-0-0-0**

It had been several hours since Sonic, Amy, and Tails had explained what had happened several weeks prior to their friends, and the most of the group had consented to try and figure out a way to get rid of the negative energy that was reacting similarly to a poison within the cobalt hero's body. Luckily, some of his energy had returned, so there was little worry over another seizure, although one of the group wasn't as positive.

Shadow stood in the corner of the room where Sonic was now sleeping, ruby eyes hidden beneath black lids as he thought over the 'theory' that Sonic's current condition could be caused by Dark Gaia energy. Sonic had also said that it could be trace amounts of Nega Wisp energy, because the purple creatures had a similar energy to the Dark Gaia.

_Still,_ Shadow thought, _the energy felt an awful lot like Chaos Energy. What corrupted Chaos would probably feel like, in fact. _Eyes opened to watch the sleeping form on the bed toss and turn some, a sudden idea sparking. Moving quietly, as to not disturb his dozing blue counterpart, Shadow carefully touched one shoulder, letting out the breath he was holding when the slight touch didn't wake up Sonic. Concentrating, Shadow tuned out the feeling of electric shock that met his grip when he felt the foreign energy again. Focusing, Shadow let go with a satisfied look. _So at least there is a way to stop Sonic from being in pain if we can't get this corrupted Chaos energy out of his system._

Glancing over his shoulder, Shadow suddenly felt angry well up at whoever did this to Sonic. _I will find out who did this to you, Sonic,_ he mentally vowed. _I promise._

XXXXXXX

Tails sat forlorn on the couch, Amy next to him in a similar state. Knuckles and Rouge were quietly debating over possible sources of Sonic's affliction in the front hall, and Cream helped Vanilla prepare dinner in the kitchen.

"Tails."

Although the quiet voice was only intended for the fox kit's ears, everyone stopped what they were doing for a moment when they realized Shadow had come downstairs. Amy got up and headed for the kitchen, leaving Tails and Shadow alone in the living room. After a moment, Knuckles and Rouge began talking again, but it was evident that they had left the door open and gone outside.

Amy silently began helping Cream and Vanilla with preparing dinner, expecting that Shadow just needed to ask Tails something because of the kit's boundless knowledge.

So one can imagine her surprise when she heard shouts of surprise from outside. Checking to see what was going on; she found Knuckles and Rouge staring towards the forest in shock. "What's wrong?" the pink hedgehogette asked.

"I think Tails has snapped," Knuckles said. "He just rushed through here, mumbling something about 'rings'…"

"I know rings have healing powers and all, but we already tried that," Amy said. "So unless Tails knows something we don't, I have no clue what he's up to."

"I would expect this kind of thing out of the Guardian, but Rouge?"

All three jumped upon hearing the familiar voice behind them. "Shadow! …What do you mean?" Rouge asked.

In response, Shadow held up on of his inhibitor rings. "Tails' has the other," he explained. "He's going to create a pair for Sonic. Hopefully, that will stop the negative Chaos energy from tearing Sonic apart, even if it doesn't cleanse him of it."

"Negative Chaos energy?" all three asked in unison.

Shadow nodded. "It's reacting to Sonic's own Chaos energy, which is why he gets the pain spasms. The rings should block that from happening, and probably will also allow Sonic to better use Chaos Control."

"Isn't it… dangerous for you to have your rings off?" Amy asked timidly.

Shadow frowned slightly at that. "As long as I'm careful not to overexert myself, and keep my emotions in check, I should be fine," he explained, but Rouge could see a faint look of uncertainty cross his face.

Luckily, the bat was the only one out of the three who knew Shadow well enough to notice the faintest look of unease.

Black ears twitched suddenly, and Shadow disappeared from sight at a faint noise, perceptible only to his Chaos sensitive ears.

Stopping in Sonic's room, Shadow felt his heart go cold when he saw the empty bed. A faint impression was left in the air, and ruby eyes lost the faint shine they had gained when he figured out a way to save the one he secretly thought of as a brother had used Chaos Control to escape unnoticed.

Rouge was the first to follow him in, face falling when she came to the same conclusion as Shadow. Swallowing, she offered the only positive comment she could. "At least he was in enough control for Chaos Control."

Shadow didn't seem to notice, flopping down on the bed with a dejected look. "I only left for a minute. He was asleep," he whispered, eyes downcast.

Knuckles and Amy were next, both feeling the same coldness when Sonic was nowhere in sight. "The hedgehog ran away?" the echidna asked, first to recover his voice. "He honestly _**ran away**_?"

"Chaos Control," Shadow corrected, robotically, almost like a reflex. "I have no clue how he managed to slip an emerald in and not have me pick it up, though."

Rouge bit her lip. "I can't say for sure, because this is Sonic we're talking about, hun, but… Blue still has the fake emerald. I should know. Got a sneaker to the head when I tried to steal it from him."

"The one Tails made back when Eggman blew up half the moon?" Amy asked, shocked. "I thought it broke apart… That was Sonic's reason as to why he didn't give it back to Tails, anyway… He said it crumbled after it failed to cut the power to the ARK."

"Oh really?" Rouge asked. "Odd. Of course, it didn't look like the fake emerald… But he was using it like a Chaos Emerald, even if it didn't glow like one…"

Knuckles didn't respond, just leaving the room to inform Vanilla that the hedgehog had taken off again. Sighing, he flipped open his communicator in the hall, knowing better than to keep the bad news from Tails. Unfortunately, the kit didn't respond well, shouting at Knuckles through the communicator, then commencing to slam the comlink closed in the middle of the Guardian's sentence.

Wincing, Knuckles headed into the kitchen, not enjoying the looks he got when he entered the small space. Luckily, Vanilla was quick to tell Cream to go into the next room. "Sonic's gone," Knuckles said as soon as the young rabbit was out of earshot.

To his surprise, Vanilla's worried expression faded to be replaced by a small, sad smile. "I knew he would sooner or later," she said. "But to be honest, I was hoping it would be later for once." She looked up at Knuckles, sighing when she saw the incredulous expression on his face. "I know that it's confusing, but I expected nothing less of Sonic. Yes, it was sort of rash of him to bolt before he was healed, but you know how he is, Knuckles. Sonic doesn't stay in one place, it just isn't his style."

"He used to," Knuckles said before he could stop himself. Realizing his mistake, he dropped his head. "I didn't tell you the full truth earlier. Once Tails gets back, I'll explain. It's probably why he ran, anyway."

Confused, there was nothing Vanilla could do but agree. "As soon as Tails is here," She insisted.

Knuckles just nodded, violet eyes downcast. _Damn you, Sonic,_ he thought. _Would it have been impossible to stick around for the explanations?_

XXXXXXX

Nearly an hour later, Vanilla and Knuckles managed to get everyone situated, even if it had to be back in the guest bedroom due to Shadow's refusal to leave. The Guardian shot him a quick look of hidden sympathy, knowing that what he was going to be hearing next was going to be as difficult for Shadow as it would for Tails or Amy. Less so for Vanilla because of her adult maturity, Cream because she wouldn't fully understand everything, and Rouge because the bat rarely interacted with Sonic, even if it was enough to be considered a mutual acquaintance.

"So what is it you wanted to tell us?" Amy asked, her tone slightly snappy. Two pairs of blue eyes glared at her, along with a scolding look from Vanilla.

Knuckles bit his lip, unsure of how to start. Sighing, he began. "About sixteen, nearly seventeen years ago, Mobius was… Different. Peaceful. Humans and Mobians got on rather well, but there was one snag that prevented complete trust. A human that had fled to what was once considered the world capital. Mobotropolis. Back then, it was beautiful, a city like no other before it, or after. Open, spacious, it was a place of beauty. What no one knew at that time, though, was that the beauty was not to last. The human had fled to the safety of the kind Queen Aleena for a reason, but that was something the public was never informed of until it was too late.

"Several months later, Aleena gave birth to triplets, whose fur was the color of the Star Trinity they were born under. Unfortunately, within a month, disaster struck. The king had disappeared, and many believed he was killed, although-"

"Quadruplets, not triplets. And the king, the second eldest of the four, and a younger sister by two years were killed in a boating accident while fleeing Buttnik," a familiar voice interjected.

"SONIC!" both Amy and Tails shouted, leaping and practically tackling the blue hedgehog. Surprisingly, he didn't smile at them upon the contact, or return the gestures, or do anything Sonic-like for these situations; which was something that did not go unnoticed.

"Sonikku, are you ok?" Amy asked, using the Japanese pronunciation of Sonic's name, something she, Vanilla, and occasionally Cream did from time to time.

Sonic nodded, but refused to look her in the directly in the eye. That didn't mean she couldn't see that the normally vivid emeralds were darkened, however. Amy wanted nothing more than to find out why Sonic was down, but knew better than to press him for information. Luckily, Rouge had a question of her own.

"And how did you find that out, Blue?" she asked, genuinely curious. "I've only heard rumors of unimaginable wealth the royal family supposedly guards, yet you know stuff even Knucklehead here, who obviously had some insider advantage, does."

"Queen Aleena was a hedgehog, Rouge," Sonic said. He then seemed very interested in a pair of rough-hewn crystal rings on his wrists that vaguely resembled mystic topaz in their multicolor scheme. "Beryl," he said suddenly. "The rings are beryl."

Although it was lost on everyone else, it seemed to mean something to Knuckles. "That would work," the echidna said. "I'm assuming the same can be said for your 'fake' emerald?"

A quick, jerky nod was the answer to that. Tails chose that time to voice his wonderings. "What's beryl?"

"A rare crystal that is the origins of the Chaos Emeralds," Sonic said without missing a beat. "In its 'raw' form, it can be used to control Chaos energy. The 'refined' form is what the emeralds are. Over the course of several hundred years, an occasional geode will form, which 'refines' the beryl, and if left until the geode naturally breaks, you get a new Chaos Emerald. Break a geode, and you either get a Chaos Stone, an easily damaged gem that looks like a poorly-cut emerald which can be pretty destructive if it gets broken at the wrong time, like before its drained, or a partially charged Emerald. It can take time, but they will eventually finish drawing in energy to charge it. I stumbled onto a beryl deposit, and accidentally broke a geode open. It was pretty close to being fully charged, but it hadn't 'settled'. Settling is why all the emeralds are different colors. Since it wasn't done settling, it would take forever to fully charge on its own. Using it just speeds up the process, but it might have some… Side effects."

"Such as?" Tails asked, intrigued. Sonic was spared from responding, when Cream jumped in to the conversation.

"Mister Sonic, Miss Rouge has a point," Cream said. "Why do you know so much about the Queen and her family?"

"What are the colors of the Star Trinity?" Sonic asked in reply.

"Pink, green, and…" Amy trailed off, eyes going wide.

"Blue!" Cream finished with a happy shout, not understanding why Amy was suddenly acting very strange. "Just like you, Mister Sonic!"

"Wait a minute," Rouge said, looking back and forth between Sonic and Knuckles. "You're not saying…"

"That I'm one of the missing Royal family?" Sonic asked rhetorically with a forced smile. "Sorry, but saying I wasn't… Would be a lie."

**0-0-0-0-0-0**

**Ok, raise your hands… Who didn't see that coming? Anything in the chapter, actually… **

**PLEASE REVIEW! IT HELPS ME KNOW WHAT PEOPLE WANT IN THE STORY, AND CRITICISM HELPS MY WRITING IMPROVE! JUST NO FLAMING, OR I'LL SEND IBLIS AFTER YOU! Yes, people, I can do that… Mephiles is at my disposal as well… *holds up Specter of Darkness* Don't make me unleash him…  
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	4. Chapter 4

**So, saw the play-through of Sonic Generations online, and I can honestly say I was a bit disappointed… I wanted Mephy to be the villain! Not that Eggman wasn't **_**way **_**eviler than ever before, though, because he was. Except for the final cutscene, because although there are times even I would disagree, there's not much evil about teachers… **

**Most of them, anyway. **

**In other news, I would like to give a big THANK-YOU to all my reviewers (and readers, but you guys don't give me feedback!). Reviews have, on occasion, been the sole source of motivation for writing. SO THANKS!**

**0-0-0-0-0-0**

Amy watched as Sonic sat on the roof, head resting against his knees, which he was hugging to his chest. Just last night he and Knuckles had explained the horrid truth of Sonic's checkered past, although she had already know bits and pieces of it. Sighing, she climbed the ladder and sat down next to him. "I get why you didn't want to talk about it before."

Sonic tensed, but then relaxed upon recognizing Amy's voice. "Doesn't matter," he mumbled. "Should have told you anyway."

"No," Amy said, shaking her head, one hand deftly avoiding his spines and rubbing small circles on his back. "In fact, I'm kinda glad you didn't tell me. Because talking about it hurts, and that's good. It means that your grief is healthy. I'd be worried if you _had _told me, to be honest. Besides, I haven't told you everything yet, so we're even."

"…." Sonic muttered something, but Amy couldn't be sure what it was he said.

"Look, I don't speak mumble-jumble, remember?" Amy asked teasingly, hoping that she could cheer him a bit by reminding him of their (secret) jokes and shared moments.

He chuckled once, faintly, before repeating what he had said so that she could understand it. "Just because you didn't tell me doesn't mean I don't know."

Amy sighed. "Yeah, that has to be the worst thing about our situation. I read tarot cards and you've got magic blood in your veins."

At that, Sonic had to laugh properly, even if it didn't last very long. "Maybe to you. For me, it's the fact that I need to start running faster so that it stays a secret. Because you might not have noticed, but you've got pretty fast, Ames. Might even be able to beat Knuckles in a race now."

"Still don't match you or Shadow, though," Amy said with a frustrated sigh. "But I'll get there. Or, you know, just use my Extreme Gear to keep up or something."

"Hey, you're pretty fast by now, Amy," Sonic protested. "And you mean you don't match me. Shads can hardly break the speed of sound."

"Oh, so that wasn't just me!" Amy said. "He really is noticeably slower than you, isn't he?"

"Unfortunately for him, yeah," Sonic said. He then looked out towards the rising sun. "Amy, I have to ask you something, but you need to promise me that you'll give me your honest answer no matter what it is."

"Why do I not like the sound of this?" Amy asked under her breath. "Fine, but if it's something that might risk your life…"

"No! No, nothing like that, Ames," Sonic said quickly. "I was… I wanted to know if you would be willing to help me with something."

"Maybe. Depends on what it is," Amy said.

"I… I want to go to Mobodoon, because, you know, just maybe…"

"You think your family might be there?" Amy asked softly.

"It's the only place they could be," Sonic said. "And if they are there, it would explain how they could be alive without my being able to use my medallion to find them because they aren't in the same dimension as I am."

"But what is it you need my help for?"

"…just to come with me. To make sure I come back," Sonic said. "Otherwise… If I go alone, there won't be anything stopping me from staying there."

Amy could feel her heart breaking for him as he said that last sentence, and she couldn't help but pull him into a hug. Because now she could see that although Sonic had hidden his pain from them all better than any of them knew. "Yes. I'll come with you. But you do realize that the others might put two and two together, right?"

Sonic didn't answer, and Amy suddenly understood what he was trying to say. "Oh… The answer's still yes. But how much do you think that at least two of our friends had a bet on this?"

"They all do," Sonic said. "Well, not on the secret relationship thing, but it's close enough…"

"Well, come on," Amy said, getting to her feet and pulling him up. "Because not only are we just biding our time, but I really can't see why you actually _**like **_sleeping on rooftops. They're so uncomfortable!"

Sonic laughed. "Yeah, but first…"

"Oh no! Your run can wait until after we explain your little plan to him, Sonic!"

"But Amy… I'll bring you with me…"

"I said no."

"Ames, come on! I need to run!"

"You sound like a child, faker," shadow said, causing Sonic to jump in fright and nearly slip off the roof.

"Shads! I told you not to sneak up on me!" Sonic shouted, carefully getting back on his feet. "But of course, you do so anyway…"

"Just so you know, Rouge says that I'm t keep you from running off," Shadow said as both Amy and Sonic climbed down off the roof. Well, Amy climbed down, Sonic just jumped off.

"And who gave her that kind of authority?" Sonic asked, arms crossed over his chest.

"Everyone but you," Amy offered. "Sorry, but we discussed it while you were on the roof."

"No refresque," Sonic muttered. "Not cool at all." He suddenly froze, and then yanked something out of his glove band. Neither Amy or Shadow could see what it was, but it caused Sonic to stare at in shock before he suddenly ran; a lot faster than he normally did as well.

The other two hedgehogs spared maybe a quarter of a second to exchange a glance before they both took off after him, Shadow not really noticing that Amy was keeping pace with him fairly well.

Of course, neither had thought to tell the others about this, so it was a good thing that Cream had woken up and gone to look out the window when she did.

XXXXXXX

"Morning, Cream, dear," Vanilla said, humming as she prepared the dough for the biscuits she planned on making for breakfast.

"Morning, Mother," Cream said. "Amy has gotten fast."

"Oh?" Vanilla asked, even as part of her suddenly was screaming that something was wrong. "What makes you say that?"

"Because she and Mr. Shadow ran after Sonic, and Amy was keeping up with Mr. Shadow," Cream said, frowning as this caused Vanilla to groan. "Is something wrong, Mother?"

"Nothing, it's just… Rouge doesn't think Sonic should be running around too much right now," Vanilla explained.

"Because he's sick?"

"Yes, sweetie. If he pushes himself too hard now, he could end up getting even sicker," Vanilla said. "Please, go tell the others about it. They can help find him."

"Yes, Mother," Cream said, running off to find the others.

"Oh, Sonic," Vanilla said, looking out the window at the sunrise. "What are we going to do with you?"

XXXXXXX

"Miss Rouge, Mother wanted me to tell you, Mr. Knuckles, and Tails that Sonic ran off, but Mr. Shadow and Amy went after him," Cream said.

"Uh, can he _really _never listen when someone tells him to _sit STILL_?" Rouge asked, annoyed. "He's still sick, yet he's out there running about like it's all some big game!"

"It's Sonic," Knuckles said. "And it's not a game to him, Rouge. You didn't know him before the final battle. He was a lot different when it was his siblings at his side. For one thing, he didn't just take off like this unless something was seriously bugging him."

"Really?" Tails asked. "You mean that when he was sick, he would actually just sit and get better?"

"Well, I don't know what he would have done had he gotten sick, Tails, because to be honest, I don't think he had even gotten sick before," Knuckles said with a shrug. "The first time I can ever remember him actually getting sick, not just running himself dry, was after he lost Sonia and Manic. And the run that caused it was the first time that I know of that he had ever gone solo without even telling them were he was going."

"Sonic trusted his siblings a lot, didn't he Mr. Knuckles?" Cream asked.

"Yeah. Probably more than he's ever trusted anyone since; consciously at least. Yes, he probably trusts some of us completely, but only on a subconscious level. Not to mention, he turned a lot less social after…"

"Still doesn't give him excuse to run off like this," Rouge muttered.

XXXXXXX

Meanwhile, in another part of Mobius, two teenagers were looking for a detective agency they had heard about.

"Sis, are you sure this is the right way?" the boy asked, a little annoyed because of the fact that they actually had to walk all this way.

"Yes, I am," the girl said. "The person I asked said that the Chaotix Detective Agency is right about were Station Square ends and Mystic Ruins starts. So stop complaining so much, we're almost there."

"And how do you know?"

"Maybe because of the sign that says 'Chaotix' in big letters?"

"…oh."

The girl chuckled softly as she dragged her brother forward. "Just come on. The sooner we get there, the sooner we'll know for certain."

"Yeah, I guess… We're using the names Voleur and Jaune, right?"

"Yes. And to go it again, Voleur is French for 'thief' and Jaune means 'yellow'. It was all I could think on short notice."

"It works fine, sis," 'Voleur' said. "After all, we can't risk anyone actually knowing who we really are, right?"

"Yeah," 'Jaune' said. "Oh, and let me do most of the talking."

"Fine. And remember, we're looking for Maurice. Not…"

"I know. Who came up with this plan, anyway?"

"Renee," Voleur said quickly, flashing his sister a smile when she glared at him.

"Oh, you are so like Maurice at times!"

"Same to you, Jaune."

"Ugh! Would just shut up already?"

"Can do!"

"Really? Because you could have fooled me!"

"Oh, let's just get this over with," Voleur said. "Would you like to knock?"

"Nah, you can this time," Jaune replied. Even so, she bit her cheek in worry. Because these guys had reputation for being able to solve the hardest of mysteries, so if they couldn't find 'Maurice', then there was next to no chance he was even still alive. A possibility neither wanted to become reality, but the one they knew most likely would.

**0-0-0-0-0-0**

**And chapter 4 is finally complete! Jeez, this fic is starting to take mind of its own. I mean, Jaune and Voleur, totally not planned. The Sonic and Amy having a secret relationship, though… Yeah, I was planning that from the start. I like Amy and all, but figured it would work better for the plot if she and Sonic were dating, but were keeping it under wraps. **

**Oh, and please, if you think you know who Jaune and Voleur are, please, keep it yourself. If you want, I'll take PMs with guesses, but no reviews, alright? You know, in case someone is right and thus spoils the whole thing. Besides, you take some of the fun out of writing for me when you do that, so I don't write as often, and thus don't update as often. SO NO GUESSING! **


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